With summer wrapping up on the Oregon Coast, we are starting to see the beginning of a quieter autumn, but that doesn't mean our chapters are slowing down! Surfrider's Oregon chapters are celebrating big wins from the summer and gearing up for fall cleanups and stewardship events, social gatherings, and our annual Chapter Leadership Conference. Right now, there are a variety of ways to get involved with your local chapter, from volunteering at a beach cleanup to engaging in policy advocacy, or learning more about programs like the Blue Water Task Force or Ocean Friendly Restaurants and how you can help. Whether you have five minutes or five hours to join us in protecting Oregon's ocean, waves and beaches, I hope to see you out there this fall!
-Kaia Hazard, Oregon Regional Manager
Victory! City blocks "SuperDrive" in Cannon Beach
The City of Cannon Beach voted unanimously to block the development of a private "super" driveway, which proposed to place major infrastructure on the ocean shore. Thank you to our North Coast Chapter and all of our partners who worked on this campaign! And thank you to the City of Cannon Beach for upholding their code and protecting our beaches in the face of private interests. As the applicant has appealed to LUBA, Surfrider will be monitoring the situation, but will not be intervening in the LUBA process at this time.
Last month, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management released the Draft Wave Energy Areas for Oregon. The draft areas cover nearly a quarter of a million acres roughly 18-32 miles offshore Oregon's southern coast. The announcement initiates an extended 60-day comment period. Check out the blog for ways you can get involved.
NOAA is currently seeking public input until September 22 on Oregon's Coastal Zone Management Program. Surfrider Foundation is encouraging members of the public, particularly those that care about coastal conservation to speak up in support of the program! This critical program is in ever-need of increasing capacity as climate change and emerging uses continue to challenge our ocean and coastal management. Read on to learn how you can submit your comments.
We've really enjoyed getting out to all of the rad youth surf-centric opportunities our Oregon chapters have hosted up and down the coast this summer. Thank you to all the volunteers who made this possible, and help to foster the next generation of coastal stewards! Surfrider's Coos Bay Chapter just held their last surf camp of the summer - check out our recap and photo roundup below!
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting our annual Cascadia Chapter Leadership Conference on October 20-22 at the Adrift Hotel in Long Beach, WA! The weekend will be full of networking, trainings, breakout sessions, chapter sharing, and an all-around good time!
From now until Oct 12, share items that you’ve found (and cleaned-up!) from your local beaches and waterways. To enter the contest, simply share a photo on Instagram of the objects arranged in a creative and artistic way, along with a story about the photograph. Use the hashtag #SurfriderFound and tag @surfrider to enter! Three winners will be chosen for sweet prize packs! More info here
Upcoming Events!
September 16– International Coastal Cleanup Day – Beach Cleanups in Newport (multiple locations) & Coos Bay
September 20, 7:00, Portland –Wave Watch Wednesday – More Info
September 21, 5:00, Newport – Beach Cookout – More info
September 27, 6:00, Portland – Chapter Social: How to Read Surf Forecasts – More info
October 1, 3:00, Coos Bay– Chapter Meeting – More info
October 7, 10:00, Portland– Oswald West Action Day – More info
October 8, 12:00, Newport– LGBTQ+ Beach Cleanup – More info
October 20-22, Long Beach, WA– Cascadia Conference – More info
Cleanup Spotlight: Surfrider Portland collected 2,200 cigarette butts at a HOTYB cleanup at OHSU's Portland South Waterfront buildings!
A scene from Surfrider Coos Bay's last surf camp of the summer! They hosted a record 36 kids (!!) with the help of an awesome team of volunteer surf instructors and beach crew! Read more on the blog.
Surfrider Newport hosted a Movie Night at Ossies Surf Shop, where we enjoyed a showing of the Duke Kahanamoku documentary Waterman and grub from Oregon's newest Ocean Friendly Restaurant, Tastee Tiki!